The day after the disaster of the night before, the Ottawa Senators hung up their skates, taking stock with tough talk.

The Senators scrapped skating Friday in favour of an off-ice workout, an extended video meeting and “constructive criticism,” stepping back from the embarrassment of Thursday’s 7-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. The Senators have yielded a whopping 13 goals in two losses since the all-star break and have dropped five of their past six games, plummeting down the Eastern Conference standings.

“By no means do we feel we’re defeated,” said captain Erik Karlsson, believing that clearing the air was more important than draining the batteries with a tough practice before meeting the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

“If you compare now to last (spring) when we won (almost) every game, I don’t think we’re doing a lot of things different. We’re kind of playing the same way. We have the same team. We have the same players. We have the same skill set. It’s just a matter of having that belief of just doing it, rather than thinking about doing it.

“You’re second guessing a little too much when it’s not going your way.”

You can quibble with Karlsson’s comments about personnel — the Senators have been devastated by injuries to forwards Kyle Turris, Clarke MacArthur and Milan Michalek and sorely miss the defensive presence of Erik Condra — but the general tone was about trusting in each other, regardless of who is the lineup.

For Senators coach Dave Cameron, it was important to “clarify that what you’re saying is what they’re hearing,” in terms of the fine points of the club’s structure. The defensive breakdowns have been atrocious, particularly killing penalties. The Oilers scored three power play goals Thursday as the Senators cemented their status as the league’s worst team killing penalties.

Clearing up all the “grey areas” — perhaps as many as 50 Shades of Grey — was Cameron’s focus. Part of the message was that if you start trying to do someone else’s job, you lose sight of your own job and you make life easier for the opposition.

“If they don’t leave that room feeling that you’ve given them a solution, it’s a waste of a meeting,” he said.

Senators winger Bobby Ryan believes it was a day well spent, acknowledging that the true test will come against Toronto.

“There was a ton of good dialogue, maybe we bridged the gap between coaches and players, as far as some structural things on the ice,” Ryan said. “Generally, I think when you get a chance to communicate with things and air things out, it always helps.”

Ryan didn’t want to say the team had hit rock bottom, but allowed that “to build yourself up, you have to have constructive criticism, you have to have constructive dialogue.”

At this point, Ryan doesn’t want to get carried away looking up — way up — at the playoff spot that slides further away every night. Before Friday’s games, the Senators were six points and five teams out of a post-season position, but also only seven points and three teams out of the Eastern Conference basement.

“We’re a few games away from being in the (playoff) conversation again and that’s what we can focus on,” Ryan said.

Amid all the turmoil, the Senators’ slide has served as a test of Karlsson’s leadership abilities. He’s without question the Senators’ best player, but Thursday’s ugly loss to Edmonton was an example of him trying to do too much offensively and not enough defensively while trying to pull the team out of its slump.

He acknowledges feeling the pressure of the heavy responsibilities.

“I want to be the guy to figure it out and help everybody get to where they’re supposed to be,” he said. “I’m searching for answers. Even though I think I’m playing good hockey now, and I feel confident out there, I still need to find a way to get everybody to have that feeling. If I have to change my game, then that’s something that I will do.”

He echoes Cameron in suggesting the team is falling behind early so often — giving up the first goal in 35 of 52 games so far — because of hesitation and the fear of making mistakes.

Off the ice, he’s making an effort to let his teammates be themselves as much as possible. He’s not peeling paint off the walls with harsh words, but he’s not staying quiet, either.

“I have to take a step back here,” he said. “I trust every guy in here that they know what they have to do to be successful. I’m going to take care of my part and I’m going to expect that everybody takes care of their own part.

“By no means am I the guy that yells all the time or the guy who stays quiet in the corner. I’m a man of many different shapes.”

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